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2016 Atlantic hurricane season (Live Version) (Sassmaster15)
The 2016 Atlantic hurricane season is an ongoing annual event of tropical cyclone formation in the North Atlantic ocean. The season began June 1 and will conclude November 30; these are the dates that conventionally limit tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic basin and are adopted by convention. However, tropical cyclone formation is possible any time of the year. As of July 23, 2016, the season's first named storm, Alex, developed in the Gulf of Mexico, nearly two months after the official start. Alex would later make landfall as a minimal hurricane in Pensacola, Florida. After a short respite in activity, Tropical Depression Two formed in the Gulf Stream. Hurricane Bonnie soon followed, developing near the Leeward Islands. Only days later, Hurricane Colin formed near Cape Verde. Bonnie would later go on to become a major hurricane in the Caribbean and make devastating landfalls in both Cuba and the United States. To this point, most forecasting groups have expected this season to be above average to very active, due to a combination of factors including an expected transition to La Niña and warmer than normal sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Western Atlantic, despite near-average sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Main Development Region near Cape Verde. So far, all of the season's storms have impacted land and caused loss of life, directly or indirectly. Seasonal Forecasts The SMWC and all partnering centers released their official outlooks for the season in the box below: Overview ImageSize = width:700 height:250 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:190 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/06/2016 till:31/12/2016 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/06/2016 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:TD value:rgb(0.38,0.73,1) legend:Tropical_Depression_=_<39_mph id:TS value:rgb(0,0.98,0.96) legend:Tropical_Storm_=_39-73_mph id:C1 value:rgb(1,1,0.80) legend:Category_1_=_74-95_mph id:C2 value:rgb(1,0.91,0.46) legend:Category_2_=_96-110_mph id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.76,0.25) legend:Category_3_=_111-129_mph id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.56,0.13) legend:Category_4_=_130-156_mph id:C5 value:rgb(1,0.38,0.38) legend:Category_5_≥_157_mph Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:11 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:23/07/2016 till:27/07/2016 color:C1 text:Alex (C1) from:02/08/2016 till:10/08/2016 color:TD text:Two (TD) from:09/08/2016 till:19/08/2016 color:C4 text:Bonnie (C4) from:14/08/2016 till:20/08/2016 color:C2 text:Colin (C2) from:07/09/2016 till:07/09/2016 color:TD text:Five (TD) bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/06/2016 till:01/07/2016 text:June from:01/07/2016 till:01/08/2016 text:July from:01/08/2016 till:01/09/2016 text:August from:01/09/2016 till:01/10/2016 text:September from:01/10/2016 till:01/11/2016 text:October from:01/11/2016 till:01/12/2016 text:November from:01/12/2016 till:31/12/2016 text:December TextData = pos:(400,30) text:"(From the" pos:(447,30) text:"Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale)" July After remaining dormant for nearly two months after the official start, tropical cyclogenesis first began with Hurricane Alex in the western Caribbean Sea. Alex traveled north-northeast across the Gulf of Mexico and eventually became a minimal hurricane prior to making landfall in the western Florida panhandle. Alex was the first hurricane landfall in the state of Florida in over a decade since 2005's Hurricane Wilma. Alex later transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone over New England on July 27. August Tropical cyclogenesis began once again on August 2, after an occluded cyclone separated from its frontal boundaries and became Tropical Depression Two east of North Carolina. Two failed to intensify beyond tropical depression status and later brushed Massachussetts. The remnants of the system later made landfall in Nova Scotia, where it produced heavy rainfall and flooding. Hurricane Bonnie soon followed, forming out of a Cape Verde tropical wave. The system later intensified to a minimal hurricane east of the Leeward Islands, soon making landfall over Antigua and later emerging over the Caribbean. Bonnie would later acquire Category 2 status. On August 13, Bonnie began rapidly intensifying and soon attained Category 3 status shortly before striking the island nation of Jamaica. Bonnie then curved sharply northwest and made landfall over central Cuba as a Category 4 hurricane. Emerging over the Gulf of Mexico, the cyclone continued to undergo rapid intensification and made landfall over Mississippi as a strong Category 3 hurricane. The remnant low dissipated over northwestern Ohio a day later. Hurricane Colin formed near Cape Verde. Colin would later pass directly over the Cape Verde islands, casing problems with heavy rainfall. Taking a general westward track across the central tropical Atlantic, Colin eventually passed over the Lesser Antilles as a tropical storm, compounding damage in the same region previously affected by Hurricane Bonnie days earlier. Colin briefly re-attained hurricane status in the open Caribbean prior to making landfall over Belize as a tropical storm. September In early September, a tropical wave developed just northwest of Cape Verde, with forecasts of a very strong storm late in the forecast period. Tropical Outlook 000 ABNT20 KSMWC 192469 TWOAT TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK SMWC SASS MASTER WEATHER CENTER CLEVELAND OH 00:00 UTC WED SEP 7 2016 For the North Atlantic.....Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico: NO NEW TROPICAL CYCLONES ARE EXPECTED IN THE NEXT FIVE DAYS. SMWC ISSUING ADVISORIES ON....TROPICAL DEPRESSION FIVE, NORTHWEST OF CAPE VERDE PUBLIC ADVISORIES ON THE ABOVE STORMS LISTED BELOW. Next update at 2300 UTC...7:00 PM EDT...tomorrow. In the meantime, special advisories maybe issued should conditions warrant. For further information, or updates on severe weather watches/warnings, please monitor the products provided by your local National Weather Service. $$ FORECASTER SASSMASTER NNNN Storms Hurricane Alex On July 22, an area of disturbed weather traveling through the Caribbean later shifted to the northwest after a building ridge of high pressure to the southwest induced the directional change. Initially, another trough ahead of the disturbance resulted in it stalling just to the southwest of Cuba. However, the trough soon dissipated and the system later consolidated into the season's first tropical depression the next day. Continuing to travel on a near-northernly track to the west of Cuba, lessening wind shear allowed for additional intensification, thus, the system became Tropical Storm Alex the same day. On July 24, Alex entered the Gulf of Mexico while situated to the west of the Dry Tortugas. Since then, Alex continued to accelerate north-northeast towards the United States Gulf Coast. After rapidly growing in size, Alex attained winds of 65 knots, the required threshold for minimal hurricane status; the first of the season. Several hours later, a convective blowup took place in the core of the hurricane. This resulted in the storm attaining winds of 70 knots; its peak intensity. At 00:00 UTC, Alex made landfall at that intensity just east of Pensacola, Florida. Alex became the first hurricane-strength tropical cyclone to make landfall in Florida since Hurricane Wilma of 2005. Some destruction ensued from the hurricane, including severe flooding in Navarre Beach, where two fatalities were later reported. Alex weakened to a tropical storm upon crossing the Florida-Georgia border, persisting as a fully tropical cyclone despite unfavorable conditions due to land interaction. At 13:00 UTC, July 27, Alex was designated as a post-tropical cyclone whilst over West Virginia. At the time, the cyclone was retaining maximum sustained winds of 50 knots. The PT cyclone continued on a course north-northeast, where it was absorbed into a frontal system the following day over Quebec. Upon landfall near Pensacola, the area was subjected to torrential rainfall and hurricane-force winds of 70 knots. Alex caused sporadic power outages throughout the western Florida panhandle, with the city of Navarre being the worst affected. At the height of the hurricane, Alex caused nearly 9,000 customers to lose electrical power. Wind damage was severely exacerbated in Fort Walton Beach by an EF1 tornado, which destroyed thirty-three houses and left another twenty-one roofless. Despite landfall at low tide, storm tides peaked at nearly four feet in height. Santa Rosa Island was mostly inundated by a four foot storm surge, rendering most roads impassible and leaving nearly two-hundred homes and businesses uninhabitable. Inland, rainfall amounts totaled nearly five inches. Some street flooding was observed in Valparaiso. Throughout the Florida panhandle, Alex caused two-hundred-and-five million in damages, with Santa Rosa Island being the worst affected. Two deaths were reported due to flooding in Navarre Beach; these being the only fatalities to occur during Hurricane Alex. A further twenty people were seriously injured in the hurricane, most centered in Pensacola and Santa Rosa Island. Tropical Depression Two On August 2, a decaying cold front coupled with an occluded cyclone moved off the coast of South Carolina. Progressing up the Gulf Stream along the East Coast of the United States, the cyclone slowly detached itself from its frontal boundaries as the production of convection began in the vicinity of the center. By August 4, the cyclone gradually took on tropical characteristics while off the coast of North Carolina. As more deep convection began being produced near the center of circulation, the SMWC initiated advisories on Tropical Depression Two that same day. A strong upper-level anticyclone over New England inhibited progress northward, and the depression stalled for several days while just offshore North Carolina. On August 8, at 22:00 UTC, Two began moving once again as the anticyclone continued eastward. The following day, a convective burst near the center prompted the upgrade of Two's wind speed to 30 knots. Several hours later, Two passed to the east of Massachussetts, which reported only fringe effects from the system. At 23:00 UTC, a significant lack of deep convection associated with increasing wind shear imparted a weakening trend, causing the system to degenerate into a remnant low on August 10. Several hours later, the remnant system associated with Two made landfall near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Heavy rainfall triggered minor flooding throughout Halifax, with the effects of the system resulting in some road closures. The remnants of the system further dissipated over the Gulf of St. Lawrence the next day. An indirect death was attributed to a traffic accident in Halifax, where one vehicle collided with another due to slick roads. Hurricane Bonnie Main Article: Hurricane Bonnie (2016) On August 4, the SMWC began monitoring a surface area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave just northwest of Cape Verde. The wave rapidly consolidated, attaining all the characteristics of a tropical cyclone the same day. At the 00:00 UTC advisory, the wave was found to have sustained tropical storm-force winds. However, SMWC recon flights failed to identify a lower-level closed circulation, preventing classification as a tropical storm. Over the next several days, the system, dubbed Invest 92L, tracked across the central tropical Atlantic without undergoing much change in strength or organization. On August 9, a special advisory was initiated at 04:00 UTC after reconnaissance aircraft found a LLCC within the center of the storm, thus resulting in the classification of Tropical Storm Bonnie while situated 164 miles east of the Leeward Islands. At the 14:00 UTC advisory the same day, it was found that a clear convective core existed in the center of circulation, with an ASCAT pass revealing the presence of three 55-knot vectors within the cyclone. This prompted an upgrade to 55 knots at the advisory. Over the next several days, a ridge of high pressure centered over the eastern Caribbean further stalled Bonnie just east of the Leeward Islands. Maintaining strength, the cyclone began intensifying once again on August 13, with a recon flight reporting 1-minute sustained winds of 65 knots, thus, upgrading Bonnie to a Category 1 hurricane. Prompting the issuance of a special advisory at 17:00 UTC, Bonnie began moving over the Leeward Islands just hours later. Approximately 20:00 UTC, Bonnie made landfall over the island of Antigua as a Category 1 hurricane with 65 kt winds. That evening, Bonnie departed the Leeward Islands and emerged into the Caribbean. Above-average SSTs coupled with lessening wind shear provided the necessary ingredients for further intensification, and at the 14:00 UTC advisory, Bonnie was upgraded to 80 knots following a significant improvement in organization. Bonnie continued to intensify, becoming a Category 2 hurricane at 20:00 UTC. Over the next several hours, Bonnie rapidly grew in size as its diameter measured 215 miles across. At the next advisory, Bonnie nearly became a major hurricane after attaining winds of 95 knots and a minimum pressure of 969. On August 15, Bonnie attained major hurricane status hours prior to striking Jamaica, the first of the season. At the subsequent advisory, Bonnie attained winds of 105 knots while the northern eyewall made a direct hit on the island nation of Jamaica. Following that, a ridge to the cyclone's southwest forced the hurricane on a more northwesterly path, inducing a direct over both the Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The following day, a special advisory initiated at 06:00 UTC required new hurricane warnings for central Cuba as Bonnie intensified to a Category 4 major hurricane. In the early morning hours of August 16, Bonnie made landfall over Tunas de Zaza in the province of Sancti Spiritus with winds of 115 knots - the strongest hurricane landfall in the country since Sandy of 2012. As Bonnie passed directly over the country, it lost little strength due to its quick movement to the northwest. At 011:00 UTC, Bonnie emerged over the Gulf of Mexico as a slightly weaker Category 3 hurricane. Due to virtually no shear in the vicinity of Bonnie's cone, coupled with extremely warm SSTs over the Loop Current, Bonnie rapidly re-attained Category 4 status. The next day, Bonnie continued to expand as its forward motion slowed due to an approaching trough over the eastern United States. Soon after, the hurricane attained its peak winds of 120 knots over the central Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Warnings were hoisted all across the Gulf Coast of the United States due to uncertainty in the cyclone's forecast track. Continuing on a direct track to the north-northwest, the storm began weakening as upwelling began to overpower it. Early the subsequent day, Bonnie made landfall near Pascagoula, Mississippi with winds of approximately 110 knots. Due to a very small eye and compact convection, the most intense winds avoided densely populated areas. Nevertheless, many smaller communities in the hurricane's path suffered enormous damage as Bonnie was the first major hurricane landfall in the United States in over ten years - the first since Hurricane Wilma of 2005. Bonnie then made a slight shift to the northeast as its core of convection collapsed completely. The remnant system remained intact as it tracked across the eastern United States, later dissipating over central Ohio. Throughout the many countries and islands Bonnie crossed, damage was heavy. First affected were the Leeward Islands, which were subjected to hurricane-force winds for hours on end. Damage was especially heavy on the islands of Antigua and Montserrat, of which received the strongest winds. Gusts on Antigua peaked at 94 miles per hour before the instrument was later destroyed, so it is highly plausible stronger gusts occurred thereafter. Over 300 homes on Montserrat were damaged due to water intrusion, while another 140 lost their roofs. Most roadways were blocked by debris and/or fallen trees in the wake of the storm, impeding rescue efforts. At least one tornado was reported in Nevis, achieving the EF0 ranking. The tornado caused $20 million in damages and resulted in one death. Following Bonnie's departure, the storm left nearly $60 million in damages and killed five people. Striking Jamaica as a major hurricane, heavy rainfall upwards of twenty inches triggered life-threatening flash floods across the island nation. Saturating the soil to the point where it no longer remained stable, spontaneous sinkholes appeared across Jamaica, causing significant damage to infrastructure and roadways. Over twelve people were killed due to this. In addition, high winds peaking at 115 miles per hour partially defoliated most trees and blew debris and rocks around, critically injuring some people and shattering windows. Torrential flooding in low-lying areas swallowed entire villages underwater, rendering nearly 900 homes and businesses as uninhabitable. Damage throughout the country was significant, amounting to $297 million, whilst causing 26 deaths. Bonnie rapidly attained Category 4 status upon departing the island nation, later shifting northwest as the expansive eyewall enveloped both the Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. Sustained winds of 117 miles per hour were reported at a meteorological service in Stake Bay at the height of the storm. The eye narrowly passed in between the two islands; thus, both received a direct hit but not a landfall. The winds blew apart houses and cut electricity to nearly 90,000 thousand customers across both islands. Little, if any, effects were reported in relation to waves and storm surge, as the highest remained offshore. Little, if any, effects were reported on the Grand Cayman. Sustained winds peaked at 35 miles per hour, with gusts near 44 miles per hour. Rainfall totaled less than one inch across the Grand Cayman. Throughout the entire archipelago, damage exceeded $112 million. Only one death was reported; a man was electrocuted by a fallen power line while attempting to make repairs. Only hours after sweeping through the Cayman Islands, Bonnie made landfall in central Cuba, with the center of the cyclone coming ashore near Tunas de Zaza. As a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour, Bonnie was the first hurricane and major hurricane to make landfall in the country since 2012's Hurricane Sandy, and the first hurricane since Ike of 2008 to make landfall in the country to make landfall at Category 4 status. Flooding rains caused a series of devastating mudslides throughout mountainous areas of central Cuba, decimating entire villages and killing well over one hundred. Strong winds, with gusts near 200 miles per hour, tore roofs clean off buildings and crumpled transformers, cutting electricity to well over one million customers. In addition, most trees were completely defoliated, with some residents describing landscape having taken on a more wintery look due to general lack of foliage. Ponding and debris on roads shut down most major land-based transportation networks and impeded rescue efforts. Over 3,000 people were rendered homeless after 40% of the population residing in Sancti Spiritus reported their homes to be uninhabitable. Upon departing Cuba, Bonnie had left nearly $400 million in damages and killed over 100 people. Bonnie's next and final landfall caused severe destruction along the Gulf Coast of the United States, where it became the first major hurricane landfall since 2005. Coming ashore near Ocean Springs, Mississippi, most densely populated areas were spared the worst of Bonnie's effects due to the contraction of the core as it neared land. With winds of 125 miles per hour upon landfall, Bonnie was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina. The worst of the impact inland was from the wind, which had the power to destroy houses and flip cars. Ocean Springs saw heavy tree damage, most of which were snapped in half and defoliated. Roads were clogged with tree branches, hindering rescue efforts in the wake of the hurricane. Power was cut to only a handfull of customers throughout the region, with less than one hundred customers losing power at the height of the hurricane. In most areas, power was restored within hours. Coastal areas received significant flooding from a ten-foot storm surge, though across the Mississippi coast, most areas are generally unpopulated, so damage was not significant. Further inland, significant damage was reported from flooding as Bonnie weakened to a tropical storm. Despite having a forward speed of 34 miles per hour, rainfall totals across central Mississippi and western Alabama totaled well over 19 inches. Severe flooding was reported throughout these states, with areas from Meridian to Tuscaloosa stating up to seven feet of water inundated streets at the peak of the disaster. Over thirteen people died in the United States due to the effects of the hurricane, with nearly $300 million in damages in southern Mississippi alone. Hurricane Colin At 02:00 UTC August 14, the SMWC noted in their Tropical Weather Outlook that significant strengthening was possible for a newly-developed tropical wave west of Africa. Dubbed Invest 93L, the wave rapidly consolidated due to abnormally favorable oceanic and atmospheric conditions. In under an hour, recon flights identified a lower-level closed circulation (LLCC) at the surface, coupled with the rapid acquirement of tropical storm-force winds of 35 knots. As such, a special advisory was initiated at 03:00 UTC and the system received the name Colin. Colin slowly tracked to the west-northwest, gradually strengthening. The system attained winds of 45 knots prior to making landfall over the Cape Verdian island of Maio at approximately 13:00 UTC. After slowly moving across Cape Verde, Colin retained its strength and went on to continue intensifying, later acquiring winds of 60 knots, falling just short of hurricane intensity. Briefly stalling out due to the structure of the cyclone temporarily diminishing, convection began to fire deep within the core the next day and Colin began to re-intensify. At 12:00 UTC the same day, the SMWC initiated a special advisory stating Colin had acquired hurricane intensity 450 miles west of the Cape Verde islands, the third of the season. Upon this development, Colin entered a brief period rapid intensification and began to strengthen at an accelerated pace. At the subsequent advisory, Colin attained winds of 85 knots, thus prompting an upgrade to Category 2. Over the next two days, Colin meandered west across the central tropical Atlantic without undergoing a significant change in intensity. However, approximately 670 miles east of the Lesser Antilles, Colin experienced a significant convective blow up and attained its peak intensity of 95 knots. Tropical Depression Five The Azure Meteorological Survey predicts Five will strengthen into a tropical storm within two days. Storm Names The following list of names will be used for named storms that form in the North Atlantic in 2016. Retired names, if any, will be announced by the World Meteorological Organization in the spring of 2017. The names not retired from this list will be used again in the 2022 season. This is the same list used in the 2010 season, with the exception of Ian and Tobias, which replaced Igor and Tomas, respectively. Season Effects Category:Cyclones Category:Atlantic hurricane seasons Category:Hurricane Seasons Category:Subtropical Cyclones Category:Atlantic hurricanes Category:Tropical Cyclones Category:Future Seasons Category:Live Seasons Category:Atlantic hurricane seasons Category:Current Seasons Category:Hurricanes Category:Tropical Cyclone Seasons Category:2016 Atlantic hurricane season